What should I use this 300 lb machine base for? (Pics)

[zack20cb]

I got this machine base from a Craigslist type deal. I have a weakness for overbuilt workshop equipment, but this takes the cake.







It seems to be 1/4” steel plate all around.

The plate on the top is about 19.5” wide, 22.5” deep and half an inch thick.

The base has ribs running front to back, for stiffness. The “feet” are just 1-inch hex bolts. the height is 31.5” without feet, or up to 36” with the current hex bolts.

I can’t easily move it without a pallet jack, which I don’t have (yet) but I suppose I could set it down on some pipes and shove it around like stonehenge.

My shop is 30x30, with an almost-90-inch ceiling and two bay doors.

The obvious thing to do with it is to use it as the base of a bed mill like the PM-833, which would *just* clear my ceiling with the base sitting down on the floor. This would be about 3x the weight of the base that PM sells for the 833, certainly not a *bad* thing, but would this help with rigidity in a meaningful way? It seems like the weak point of bed mills is the column and head…maybe all this weight will cut down on resonances. Maybe it just helps me move it around when needed: I can use the threads in the base to jack it up and get pallet forks under it.

I can also imagine mounting some manual tools with long handles, like an arbor press, a pipe bender or a throatless shear.

Somebody suggested using it for a welding table…I guess I would put a 2’x4’ top on it, maybe 3/16” plate, stiffened with angle iron. I suppose it would be cool to have a “pedestal” welding table, with notlegs getting in the way of whatever I’m trying to clamp.

Let me know what you think I should do! And if you have a sense of what this base was designed to do, let me know! I’m curious.

 

[brino]

Hi @zack20cb ,

You already mentioned the three I was going to suggest; mill base, welding table, arbor press.

For welding you could put a top on like this:
https://weldtables.com/
although you';d lose access to some of the clamp holes.....

It could also be used for some sheet-metal machines, slip roll, shear, brake or combo machine like these:
https://www.grizzly.com/products/grizzly-12-slip-roll/t10727
https://www.grizzly.com/products/grizzly-8-benchtop-metal-shear-brake/t32716
https://www.grizzly.com/products/grizzly-30-3-in-1-sheet-metal-machine/g4011z

...or shrinker/stretcher:
https://www.grizzly.com/products/grizzly-metal-shrinker-stretcher-combo-pack/t31648

...or plate shear:
https://www.grizzly.com/products/grizzly-5-plate-shear/t27429

I suppose a vertical bandsaw or even an EDM machine could be a possibility.

I suppose the answer really needs to come from you.
What kind of projects do you do?
What available shop space do you have?
etc.

Please let us know what you come up with.
Brian

 

[keeena]

Yeah, most obvious is table-mounted mill or DP.

Could be ideal for a large arbor press (like a Dake 3A); the holes on the front of the base's frame could be used for a height-adjustable press table to increase the capacity. You'd need to bolt it to the floor if you used it for an arbor press though.

Sander/grinder table (could probably fit 2 DE sanders on there). Surface-plate stand?

Might make sense to cut the bottom plate off and that angled foot rest; seems like it would be in the way for most uses.

 

[Toro5xi]

I see you are into motorcycles. Would be nice to mount a rotating bearing on top, perhaps an old wheel hub, and make a nice tire changer but I think that base is overkill for that. If you can’t think of a use for it as is I think I would be tempted to cut out the welds and use 1/4 inch steel to make a nice welding table top.
Not sure what you paid but all that steel is really nice to have. I really enjoy repurposing stuff like that. Great score.

 

[zack20cb]

Not sure what you paid but all that steel is really nice to have. I really enjoy repurposing stuff like that. Great score.

It cost me $50 and half a Saturday.

I like the wide base for stability when shifting it around with a pallet truck. I’ll probably leave the footrest there until it becomes a problem.

These are great suggestions, especially the 3-in-1 sheet metal machine idea.

I had considered a surface grinder, and I would love to have one — they’re so cool — but I suspect it’s going to be hard to justify the floor space for one. My shop is not quite 30x30 and a surface grinder is pretty situational if I understand correctly.

I’m really liking the idea of putting a Precision Matthews PM-833TV on this base. It’s a couple hundred pounds heavier than the standard base that PM sells for $400, and it will fit the bottom casting with only very slight modification. I’d love to splurge on a PM-935 knee mill but it would be a few more thousands of dollars and significantly harder to remove it down the road if I’m ever moving the shop.

 

[samstu]

I'd put a ****ty Chinese drill press or some other distraction and make the base into a hidden-in-plain-sight strong box.

 

[Ultradog MN]

The obvious thing to do with it would be to drop it off at my place
I have been looking for a good, solid base I can bolt my drill head to. I have it on my welding table for the time being but it is in the way.
I wish the top was a little thicker than the 1/2" you state but I could make it do.